


Time to Say Hello Again

by stars_will_fall



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Day 6, M/M, Taakitz Week, a sad one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-14 19:30:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14142987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stars_will_fall/pseuds/stars_will_fall
Summary: Taako has lived a long life with many ups and downs, but finally, its time for him to let go. Kravitz and Lup give him a chance to say hello again.





	Time to Say Hello Again

They’d been preparing for this day for years now. Taako was the last of the living seven birds with even Merle and Davenport passing over a century ago. He’d lived a long life, and while it may not have always been a happy one, it was ultimately fulfilling. In his seven hundred years, Taako had become a well-loved public figure, someone who would be missed, if not by the generations of his family’s family he was leaving behind, then by the masses who grew up hearing the story of his stolen century and of his heroism when faced by the apocalypse. 

Taako had aged gracefully, not that he’d be caught dead looking bad if he didn’t, but there were certain differences those who had been by his side for a long time could certainly notice. For one, his hair, once a silky white had grown a little more brittle and gray and he struggled to keep away the frizz. Then, there were the slight hints of laugh lines around his mouth and at the corner of each eye. He’d never own them, no matter how Kravitz assured him of their charm. They knew his time was coming soon when he lost that mischievous, ever so Taako sparkle in his eyes. Shortly after, his eyes faded from their familiar, gorgeous lilac into a soft gray.

For a while, when Kravitz thought of Taako’s passing, he thought of what a pain it would be to convince him to come along peacefully. Taako had always been so full of life, and even if he had thousands of years to go on living, it wouldn’t quite be enough. However, after Magnus’ death, something in Taako changed. He was faced with the permanent death of his friends for the first time in his long, long life, and it seemed as each one of them took their turns in saying goodbye they took a piece of Taako with them. There were times where he grew more distant, cutting himself off from those who he loved, refusing food or rest for days at a time. Lup was always there to bring him out of it, but there were days when not even she could do anything. Those days were always the worst. They weren’t sure if it was aftereffects of the voidfish’s magic, or just the trauma of losing a lifelong family, but on those days Taako would just forget. Sometimes it was little things like his aunt’s apple pie recipe, but more often than not it was entire chunks of his life. He’d forget where he was, who Lup and Kravitz were, who _he_ was, and when it all came back to him, he would just _cry_. Lup and Kravitz did their best to comfort him, to help him heal. Eventually, he did. Incidents grew few and farther apart, but that period in his life left its mark regardless. 

When Taako’s time came, he was ready to go. “There’s nothing left here for me,” he’d tease with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “The Taako brand is just gonna keep on going when I’m gone. You know all of Angus’s little great great great grand-twerps aren’t going to let me go forgotten.” He was right, and Kravitz was, in a sense, glad that he didn’t see this as a complete end.

He requested his last day be spent with his sister, and Kravitz was happy to oblige. He left him in the morning with a kiss on his forehead, knowing he’d be seeing him again at the end of the day. Lup had all sorts of things planned for him, insisting in tears that he deserved the one wonderful day he’d once given her. They ate a huge breakfast together and saw the world for one last time, wreaking havoc wherever they went as was customary for the twins. They had lunch at a fancy restaurant in Goldcliff, close to home and walked home together. Taako was worn out by the time he got home, going straight to the couch and plopping down, letting Lup curl up into his warmth. She played with his hair, humming to him softly until he went still by her side. 

Taako didn’t remember closing his eyes, but when he opened them again, Kravitz was before him, a hand out in offering. Taako let out a shaky breath, and took his hand, standing up and out of his body. He let out a shaky breath, shuddering as he looked down at _himself_ still and peaceful in Lup’s arms. He dropped Kravitz’s hand again and kneeled down before the couch, a hand going to touch the soft wrinkles beside eyes that would never open again. “Holy shit,” he breathed, “you didn’t tell me I got so old.”

Kravitz let out a surprised laugh, wrapping an arm around him. “I think you looked as lovely as ever still dear.”

“Yeah, Ko.” Lup looked up at him now, her eyes filled with tears she was trying not to shed, “You’ve got no room to speak when Maggie and Ango were two shriveled old men when they went.”

“Speaking of,” Kravitz smiled, “We have a bit of a surprise for you if you’re ready. Barry agreed to take care of it while we were busy today.” 

Taako’s eyes lit up and when Kravitz pulled him into the astral plane by his side, there was no resistance. Taako had been on this plane a few times now, but never like this. He’d always been a guest. He’d always known exactly what to expect. Now, things were out of his control. They touched down on a soft, cool ground in seconds. “Close your eyes for me,” Kravitz instructed. “I won’t let go of you.” Taako followed his instruction, letting them fall shut as he was lead off a little ways. They came to a stop and Taako felt Kravitz give his hand a gentle squeeze. “Okay, now you can open them.” 

Taako’s eyes fluttered open and in front of him, like he never thought they would be again, stood his family, looking just like he remembered them in life. Kravitz smiled, sweeping his hand out in front of them. “Welcome home, Taako.” 

Taako dropped Kravitz’s hand faster than he knew he even could and launched himself into Magnus’ arms, squeezing as tight as he could. He was hugged right back by a pair of strong arms, and slowly more joined those. When he felt like he could finally let go, he pulled back just a bit to look around at the faces around him. “Where,” he croaked and started over, “where is he?” 

“Where’s who?” Merle asked from down by his left hip, sounding amused and like he knew exactly who Taako was talking about. 

“Don’t play dumb with me, old man. Where’s my little detective?”

“Right here, sir!” Angus Mcdonald, _his_ Angus Mcdonald, pushed through the crowd to Taako. Once again, he only went up to Taako’s waist, and jesus Taako had not been expecting to see his boy as a little boy again. He scooped him up and held him close for a long, long time.

After a while, Kravitz came to join them, ruffling Angus’ hair and planting a gentle kiss to Taako’s temple. “Now, I’ve talked to the Raven Queen, and normally this wouldn’t be allowed, but all things considered- you know how can you say no to the saviors of the planar system especially when they’re family to three of the most trusted reapers in the plane- what I’m saying is, things can stay this way. You’ve all earned it.”

Taako looked a little confused, and Kravitz took his hand again, leading him a little farther. In the distance, behind a hill stood the familiar sight of his house, with a few others scattered around it. The Starblaster sat in the center of it all. “I meant it when I said welcome home. As long as you want it, you’ve got an eternity away from the sea of souls. Together.” 

Taako, who still had not put Angus down, pulled Kravitz into a hug. “This is- thank you. I know I should be thanking bird mom, I _will_ be thanking bird mom, but thank you. Seriously. Will you- I’ll still see you right?”

Kravitz laughed. “We left out the ‘til death do us part’ on purpose didn’t we? I promised you forever, and you’ll have forever if you want it.” 

Taako let his head fall against Kravitz’s chest, trying to hide the tears that were starting to form. He was overwhelmed, but for the first time in such a long time he was so so happy. “I love you, Krav.”

“I love you too, dear. We all do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I cried t least three times while writing this because I'm fucking weak. I know there are hundreds of these fics out here, but they're good shit. I hope you enjoyed this. Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Also, check out my other fics here on ao3. Thanks for reading!


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